Sharecare Launches VR Program to Improve Well-being of American Workforce

Sharecare, the digital health company that helps people manage all their health in one place, today announced the launch of Get Active, a new program to help employers encourage exercise among their workforces in a fun, approachable, and accessible way, using the immersive power of virtual reality (VR). In a pilot with its customer Lennar Corporation, one of the nation’s leading homebuilders, Sharecare’s Get Active program for Meta Quest 2 yielded strong results for both healthy and high-risk Associates.

“At Lennar, we believe deeply in empowering our entire workforce to be fit for adaptability – and physical activity is core to fulfilling that goal,” said Dr. Pascal Goldschmidt, chief medical officer of Lennar Corporation. “While I was optimistic going into this pilot, engagement across the board exceeded our expectations and feedback from our highest-risk associates has been very positive. Sharecare has demonstrated its continued commitment to innovation and driving sustained employee engagement, and we are excited to expand Get Active to more Lennar Associates this year.”

In addition to the immediate health benefits of physical activity – including improved sleep quality and reduced anxiety and blood pressure – it can help reduce and prevent the risk of chronic disease. Regular exercise also has been shown to reverse pre-diabetes, which according to the CDC, more than 1 in 3 American adults have; and, of those with prediabetes, more than 80% are unaware they have it. Further, the CDC estimates that if adults in the U.S. increased moderate-to-vigorous physical activity by just 10 minutes per day, about 110,000 deaths could be prevented annually. And according to the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, health plan members who exercise regularly saw lower healthcare costs – approximately $4,438 less over four years.

While health plans and self-insured employers actively seek ways to increase member usage across their well-being offerings, most yield low sustained engagement. Sharecare’s Get Active program is designed to engage employees in physical activity by enabling “exercise by accident” through a convenient and gamified movement experience using the Meta Quest. Get Active also removes access barriers for those who may be disabled, uncomfortable with public gyms, or prefer in-home workouts, featuring a plethora of virtual activity options for both standing and seated settings – from stretching and ping pong to fighting zombies and basketball.

In a pilot conducted in late 2022 with Lennar Corporation, Sharecare’s Get Active program generated promising results for their Associates, including those diagnosed with or at the greatest risk of developing diseases such as anxiety and depression, cancer, diabetes, and musculoskeletal disorders. Among high-risk participants, the pilot with Lennar yielded an engagement rate of 82% and a 280% increase in average weekly exercise minutes per person compared to pre-program. Following the success of the pilot, Lennar is introducing Get Active as a core offering for its eligible Associate population in 2023, including those at risk for or managing a chronic disease.

“We have a strong track record of investing in innovation, including VR, to improve our comprehensive well-being platform and the employee experience, and the initial feedback on Get Active from Lennar’s Associates is both encouraging and inspiring,” said William Janis, senior vice president of health advocacy at Sharecare. “We are excited to differentiate our whole health benefits offering on behalf of our partners and their populations with a unique and approachable program that’s fun and naturally engaging for employees of all fitness levels while improving outcomes and reducing costs.”